A widely-circulated tweet from ABC News producer Chris Donovan pulls an extract from Ali’s memoir titled ‘How I Would Like to be Remembered’.

“I would live to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous, and who treated everyone right,” Ali wrote.

“I wouldn’t even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was.”

“As a man who never looked down on those who looked up on him, and who helped as many people as he could. As a man who stood up for his beliefs no matter what. As a man who tried to unite all humankind through faith and love.

“And if all that’s too much, then I guess I’d settle for being remembered only as a great boxer who became a leader and a champion of his people.

“And I wouldn’t even mind if folks forgot how pretty I was.”

Ali also mused on his own legacy back in 1972 while being interviewed by David Frost, which you can watch below courtesy YouTube.

“I’d like for them to say he took a few cups of love, he took one tablespoon of patience, one teaspoon of generosity, one pint of kindness,” he told the British TV host.

“He took one quart of laughter, one pinch of concern and then he mixed willingness with happiness – he added lots of faith and he stirred it up well.

“Then he spread it over a span of a lifetime and he served it to each and every deserving person he met.”